The Art of Speed Blurs

Funny story. Last night I was hanging with my boys. First, a big shout out for winning the Austrian baseball championship. Seriously, congrats guys, hats down. Besides that, boys, sorry, but it's
Baseball, and it's Austria, so take it easy. If you need somebody to hit that ball next season, give me a ring. I'll cover my eyes to keep things fair, Haha, have to laugh myself at this point.
Ok, back on topic.....but seriously I would smack that thing. Convinced.

ISO 100, 200mm, f/32, 1/6 of sec

On a side note-being an artist is tough

So I just returned from Nicaragua, and we were talking about my experience and my pictures. It was really,
really good to get so much positive feedback and warm words. I know, I know, they are my friends but still. When you are in
the sphere of arts, every single positiv word helps so much. By being"out there", you are giving away a piece of yourself, making yourself vulnerable and up for evaluation. Even if I think: "I like my pictures and
that's all that counts", there will always be opinions that cut close to my soul. It's not that I would stop liking my pictures if everybody else said they didn't, but it would make me think
twice about whether this is something I can live off. I guess the only thing left to say then would be: "Guys, you are not ready for my outstanding art yet. Wait another 100 years and you too
will be there" Luckily, at this point I am not so far away and funny enough this is the perfect transition to what I was going to say in the beginning.

ISO 160, 55mm, f/9.0, 1.6 sec

Let's get to the point

My friends and I were looking at my pictures and when we arrived at one of my speed blurs, both of them go "Nah, really don't like that one so much", Instantly, I was like "Whaaaaaaaat, those are
probably the sickest pictures I have" So I started asking myself......" Are they not ready for my god damn speed blurs yet? Can't they see the beauty in them? Do they need some more LSD to get
it!?. So we continue talking and they tell me:" It looks so photoshopped, so fake"; My pupils widen,
"Photoshooooooopped, What do you meeeeeeean!?" All my images are color corrected and edited to a certain extend, but I NEVER have made an image blurry or any other obvious manipulation. So this
is why I want to share and explain, how I shot these speed blurs so that you might be able to view them in a different light. Lets skip a couple of those 100 years ;). I also want to mention that
for photographers and surfers, this might not be a baffle at all. But if you are from Austria and are neither familiar with waves nor photography, then there is some room for explanation.

ISO 100, 200mm, f/32, 1/6 of sec

Signature Work-Speed and Ocean Blurs

I consider speed blurs my signature work. I love the esthetics of it, the feel, the smooth and softness of the image. To me
it feels like silk, it feels like I could dream away for hours looking at them. It's seriously getting lost in an ocean wonder world. I love shooting them because you actually
need some skill to do it. Speed blurs are basically long exposure shots where you move the camera horizontally. I use exposure times from 1/30th of a second up to 1 second and I like to be zoomed
in at 100mm or more. Since you are working with long exposures you most likely have to close the aperture as far as possible (High f Number). Because of the amount of light coming in you have
three options. Shooting at sunrise, sunset or using filters. The possibilities are endless and there is so much experimenting and exploring that goes into the shot. When there is a surfer on the
wave it gets really tricky, but interesting. You are trying to match the rhythm of the surfer so he stays in focus only blurring the wave. Wonderful.. Here is a little step-by-step guide to help
ensure that you get that perfect shot.

1) Put the camera on the tri pod

2) Stand in front of an ocean with waves

3) Put the camera on timer mode so you can start moving the camera before the exposure starts (that helps to keep it all clean and steady)